View Poll Results: Are the 3M bras really working
Hell yes!, it working damn good.
63
51.64%
I wasted my money the rocks that it's meant to protect against goes right though.
4
3.28%
Don't know. Don't have it installed.
48
39.34%
Bras are for women and fat men.
7
5.74%
Voters: 122. You may not vote on this poll
Is the 3M bra really helping?
Originally posted by blaque
Any installers in the L.A. area that you guys can recommend? Thanks.
Any installers in the L.A. area that you guys can recommend? Thanks.
Nissan's Paint
Originally posted by zeroday
I mentioned that I don't have stock paint on my bumper. I had it stripped and repainted at a top notch paint shop (ie not nissan paint). The stock paint apparently sucks for chip resistance and that was my point. The hood chips don't happen very frequently on Z's..I too have seen quite a few other Z's up close. The mirror chips are more frequent so just get them repainted also 
...although for some reason I don't have chips there either and they werent repainted?? The major problem is the nose and all I am saying is that a good repaint will solve the problem there. I know for a fact I've been hit with rocks in the bumper...i've seen em! No chips...only a couple very tiny marks where the rocks hit.
edt: I should also add that I don't commute to work with my Z. I think close heavy traffic with alot of stone kicking SUV's/trucks is a big reason for the chips. I have an acura integra I use to drive to work...funny though it has hardly any chips either and it's 10 yrs old LOL.
I mentioned that I don't have stock paint on my bumper. I had it stripped and repainted at a top notch paint shop (ie not nissan paint). The stock paint apparently sucks for chip resistance and that was my point. The hood chips don't happen very frequently on Z's..I too have seen quite a few other Z's up close. The mirror chips are more frequent so just get them repainted also ...although for some reason I don't have chips there either and they werent repainted?? The major problem is the nose and all I am saying is that a good repaint will solve the problem there. I know for a fact I've been hit with rocks in the bumper...i've seen em! No chips...only a couple very tiny marks where the rocks hit.edt: I should also add that I don't commute to work with my Z. I think close heavy traffic with alot of stone kicking SUV's/trucks is a big reason for the chips. I have an acura integra I use to drive to work...funny though it has hardly any chips either and it's 10 yrs old LOL.
Re: Nissan's Paint
Originally posted by corsair
I have to agree with you on your comment about the quality of Nissan paint. I have a 1993 Lexus LS400 and the paint on that car is incredible. It still looks brand new for a car that is 10 years old. I wish Nissan would put more effort into their paint technology.
I have to agree with you on your comment about the quality of Nissan paint. I have a 1993 Lexus LS400 and the paint on that car is incredible. It still looks brand new for a car that is 10 years old. I wish Nissan would put more effort into their paint technology.
New Member
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 5,563
Likes: 0
From: Earth
I was going to put the clear bra on a couple of months ago. I went down to talk to the guy and he put a test piece on my paint to show what it would look like. I have the PPW and I did not like how the test piece looked. It made the color kind of offwhite and wasn't as pearly anymore. Maybe it just looked like that because it was a test piece, but I didn't like it
Does anyone have good pics of a PPW with the clear bra? I'd reconsider if I actually saw it on one and it looked good.
Does anyone have good pics of a PPW with the clear bra? I'd reconsider if I actually saw it on one and it looked good.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
From: Erie, Pa
3m clear bra
Well worth the $. At 330 miles I had one stone chip on the hood. Cost of bra with installation was $400. Have 1,200 miles and no more chips..Looks great..all debris washes off very easy..(Could be the 3 coats of Zanio wax as well).
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 216
Likes: 0
From: IL
Originally posted by jesseenglish
I was going to put the clear bra on a couple of months ago. I went down to talk to the guy and he put a test piece on my paint to show what it would look like. I have the PPW and I did not like how the test piece looked. It made the color kind of offwhite and wasn't as pearly anymore. Maybe it just looked like that because it was a test piece, but I didn't like it
Does anyone have good pics of a PPW with the clear bra? I'd reconsider if I actually saw it on one and it looked good.
I was going to put the clear bra on a couple of months ago. I went down to talk to the guy and he put a test piece on my paint to show what it would look like. I have the PPW and I did not like how the test piece looked. It made the color kind of offwhite and wasn't as pearly anymore. Maybe it just looked like that because it was a test piece, but I didn't like it
Does anyone have good pics of a PPW with the clear bra? I'd reconsider if I actually saw it on one and it looked good.
Banned
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 146
Likes: 0
From: East Peoria, Illinois
I dont have my Z yet, but my daily driver is an 01 Focus ZTS. The OEM bra does a great job of protecting the front end. I take it off during the winter and take it off 2x during the summer to clean when I wax the car. Zero paint damage from the bra, although a paint cleaner and buffer is needed in a couple spots, but they come out fine. I intend to get the Nissan OEM bra when my roadster comes.
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: North Carolina
Paint quality
As I mentioned in this thread in March, the chip-ability of the new water-based paint is something most manufacturers are struggling with. The great paint described on the 10 year old Lexus wouldn't pass today's EPA requirements for water-based paint. The results mentioned on re-painting may be superior because non water-based paints were used, the writer didn't state.
This is new paint technology, and it will take time to sort out what will be most durable and chip resistant. I am confident they will, but it may be awhile.
This is new paint technology, and it will take time to sort out what will be most durable and chip resistant. I am confident they will, but it may be awhile.
I have the clear bra on our G and Z, but my real question is, if its the epa formualtion of paint, why does my 2002 Black S-10 that I don't really take care of all that well not have any chips after a year? Seems American manufacturers have the paint thing down, while German and Japanese don't.
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: North Carolina
Water Based Paint
As I understand it, the first said-to-be-required-by-the-EPA appearance of water based automobile paints was in 2002 on late run 02 and 03 models.
The whole thing seems entirely plausible to me, and may indeed be true, or may be entirely new urban myth.
Or it may be that the new paints on $35,000 cars are not the quality of new paints used on $70,000 cars. Or the Japanese and German formulation seem to be more chip-prone than the US formulations. It could even be a clever Detroit-EPA anti-import scheme...
I am not a paint engineer; I heard it a non-Nissan car dealer.
The whole thing seems entirely plausible to me, and may indeed be true, or may be entirely new urban myth.
Or it may be that the new paints on $35,000 cars are not the quality of new paints used on $70,000 cars. Or the Japanese and German formulation seem to be more chip-prone than the US formulations. It could even be a clever Detroit-EPA anti-import scheme...
I am not a paint engineer; I heard it a non-Nissan car dealer.
Registered User
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 222
Likes: 0
From: WA
Anyone remember the GE commercial (not that long ago) with the car painting robots reading the newspaper because the cars had the paint mixed into the plastic or something. When are they gonna start using that?
Cars have been around for a century now, there's no excuse for a crappy paint job.
Cars have been around for a century now, there's no excuse for a crappy paint job.
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles, CA
ABSOLUTELY THE BRA HELPS!! There are quite a few different kits out there, but I'd say the difference in protection is marginal (<5% differential).
I went through Sheer Shield Solutions:
www.sheershield.com
They're very reasonably priced and do excellent work. I believe they're only in CA, but they do sell the material as well for a good price from what my friends tell me.
I went through Sheer Shield Solutions:
www.sheershield.com
They're very reasonably priced and do excellent work. I believe they're only in CA, but they do sell the material as well for a good price from what my friends tell me.
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